This Very Short Introduction argues that all faith needs reason, putting contemporary discussions into historical perspective, and shows that faith also involves a commitment to action. It matters for all social life, because religion is typically directed at what is seen as of crucial importance for human life.

Roger Trigg is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the University of Warwick and is based in Oxford at the Ian Ramsey Centre. He co-directed a major, interdisciplinary research project on the cognitive science of religion. He served as Founding President of the British Society for the Philosophy of Religion, and as President of the European Society for Philosophy of Religion. Trigg is the author of many volumes including Equality, Freedom, and Religion (OUP, 2012) and Religion in Public Life (OUP, 2008).